Maggie’s Highlands ‘shocked’ as Inverness business leaders raise over £53K for the charity at Jail or Bail
Some local business leaders helped raise £53,251 after serving ‘time’ to generate funds for cancer support charity Maggie’s.
The Jail or Bail event saw participants ‘locked up’ for a range of ‘crimes’ including “smelly lunches” and “moonlighting for the competition”, until they raised enough money to be released.
All the fundraising ‘inmates’ were ‘locked up’ at a secret location where they were placed ‘behind bars', had mug shots taken and faced a judge to have their ‘bail’ set which varied depending on the crime. They had around seven hours to raise as much money as possible.
Maggie’s centre fundraising manager Andrew Benjamin said: “Like any new event, you never really know if it will be a success so I always enter with a cautious mindset but yet slightly confident as I knew we had an outstanding line-up of supporters taking part in this event.
“It’s always amazing when events exceed expectations, especially for a cause like Maggie’s, which provides such valuable support to people living with cancer.
“Raising so much in just a few hours is a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved in this fabulously different and fun event.
“I am shocked at the amount of money raised!”
Participants were Yvonne Crook, Marc Gardiner, Jeremy Matte, Ian MacDonald, Abbie McCahill, Graham Clark, Ian Sutherland, Annabelle Gauntlett and Andrew Still.
It was the local Maggie’s first time hosting a Jail or Bail but it is set to return next year as everyone involved has to nominate a person for a future event.
Fundraising is vital for charities like Maggie’s as it relies heavily on public donations. It costs a £3000 to run the centre each day which is why these fundraising events are ‘valuable’.
Andrew added: “It's so inspiring to see how dedicated everyone is in supporting Maggie's Highlands, especially when the need for services that Maggie’s offers is needed more than ever right now.
“The £53,000 raised will certainly make a significant difference in securing the £500,000 running costs and ensuring that people living with cancer and their families continue to receive the emotional, psychological and practical support they need.
“Fundraising is definitely a challenge right now.”
